PinnedJohn SailorsEnrique of Malacca Completes First Circumnavigation — by LanguageOn March 28, 1521, Enrique of Malacca became the first person to complete a linguistic circumnavigation of the globe — he traveled so far…3 min read·Jan 3, 2022--1--1
John SailorsJohn Mandeville Medieval Travelogue Predicts Enrique of Malacca’s CircumnavigationA handful of medieval travelogues were the closest thing Ferdinand Magellan had to a travel guide when he sought a westward route to Asia —…4 min read·Dec 14, 2023----
John SailorsBits of History on Book Bans: Striving for Dark AgesHold their beer, First Amendment: Illinois recently banned book bans, and California followed suit with Gov. Gavin Newsom signing…8 min read·Oct 8, 2023----
John SailorsA DNA Search for Columbus’s Origin: Dueling LegaciesFew historical figures have had their legacy as hotly debated as Christopher Columbus’s. Today as many cry “Tear down the statues,” others…3 min read·Sep 14, 2023----
John SailorsAI Estimates Phileas Fogg’s Travel Times: Was 80 Days Possible?I asked ChatGPT about Phileas Fogg’s 1873 circumnavigation of the globe in Jules Verne’s classic novel Around the World in Eighty Days:3 min read·Aug 3, 2023----
John SailorsTest of AI-Assisted Writing: Goodbye, Take-home Exams!Long live(d) the term paper, the book report, and the essay question. AI is here, a development that will impact teachers and professors of…6 min read·Jun 23, 2023----
John SailorsDiogo Ribeiro: Portrait of a ‘Renaissance’ CartographerDiogo Ribeiro was a Renaissance cartographer, a mapmaker who did it all. In addition to creating several of the most extensive world maps…6 min read·May 14, 2023----
John SailorsPaulo, Magellan’s Patagonian GiantPart of the “explorer” mindset, a common reaction to encountering a novel people was the urge to kidnap a few to bring home as souvenirs…6 min read·Apr 28, 2023----
John SailorsSome History on the Tomato and the Love AppleA trite legend but accurate anecdote for the plant’s history, in the early 1800s people across America and Europe were terrified by an…5 min read·Apr 22, 2023----
John SailorsThe Gargantuan Feast of George NevilleWhen George Neville[1] was installed as Archbishop of York in 1465, the event was celebrated with a feast that would have impressed the…4 min read·Apr 18, 2023----